


Back To The Past

by Girl_With_Spectacles



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-07-18 18:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7326400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Girl_With_Spectacles/pseuds/Girl_With_Spectacles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Killian Jones had lived for one thing: Destroy the crocodile that killed the love of his life, Milah. But when a beam of light appears from the sky, he finds out that changing the past may just end his lifelong mission and have his happy ending. What he didn't plan though was a certain blonde coming along with him. AU. (Set in Season 3B)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Pull

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer: The TV Show Once Upon A Time and its characters are not mine.**
> 
> A/N: Yey my first OUAT AU multific! This is my twist on how things happened. So I’m just going to point out a few things before you read on to avoid any confusion…  
> (1) This is set in Season 3B  
> (2) But I left out the things that happened in Neverland, so basically Season 3A never happened  
> (3) Other things will be explained further in the chapters ;)  
> Okay so that’s it, enjoooooy! : )

**CHAPTER 1**

  


Killian Jones was never the sit-still-and-wait kind of man. He preferred taking risks and surging head on to the storm, this quality, apart from his looks, was probably one of the many reasons why the name Captain Hook was well-renowned over the entire realm (and beyond), because Captain Hook never backs down on a challenge. But as he sipped a cup of coffee he took out from Granny’s, he couldn’t help but think of how that image he forged for _centuries_ have changed.  


Never in a million years would he have seen himself in his deck, laying _bloody_ low, waiting on a chance to murder the sodding crocodile who never seems to die.  


He hated this plan.  


But alas, this was, apparently, his only plan to defeat the person he loathed the most. It wasn’t the best plan, but it was the only one he got that wouldn’t get him killed. And without Cora, or any other benefactor to help with his endeavor, he’s… useless. Although he hated to admit it, but he knew that his revenge plan was not going anywhere. This only meant that Rumpelstiltskin would continue to live and his thirst for vengeance would remain unsated.  


Popping off the lid of his coffee cup, Killian reached for his trusty ol’ rum, pulled the cork with his teeth, and poured it into his morning drink. “Ah, cheers to another worthless day.” He mutters to himself and takes a full swig of his concoction.  


But just after he finished his cup, his eyes caught the unusual streak of light that seemed to come from somewhere near the docks. Instinctively, he reached for his telescope and found a shed where the beam of light rose out of. At the sight, his gut—his pirate gut, the one who craved adventure more than anything, swelled and he just knew his gut was telling him to follow and leave everything else behind.  


And for the first time since his return from New York, he followed his instincts and ran.  


\---  


Emma Swan was just about done with Zelena. She was annoying as hell, but _this_ , taking a fucking newborn baby to change the past, was just crossing the line and Emma was going to make sure this hag does not succeed.  


“There, I see it!” David says beside her as he points to the abandoned shed.  


Following David’s directions, Emma veered her yellow bug swiftly to the right, her tires screeching at her sudden turn.  


“Remind me again why I didn’t just poof myself there and saved me the trouble of sitting in this pigpen you call a car while you drive like madwoman on the loose?” A rattled Regina protested, her annoyance ever so present as she brushed off invisible specks of dirt on her coat.  


“Well, you don’t have to worry about that, your highness,” Emma pushes her brakes and turns around to meet Regina’s stormy eyes. “We’re here.”  


Taking her gun from her dashboard, Emma took off with Regina, David and Robin following suit. The shed burned bright inside, the streak of redish light pushed through its roof and then she hears voices… Zelena and Rumpelstiltskin.  


It was all she needed to hear before they marched inside, weapons ready, and yelled, “Zelena!”  


\---  


There was chaos when Killian arrived at the base of the mysterious beam. He took a quick peek inside the building and the first one he saw was the crocodile flipping his hand and sends Emma, the feisty lass that locked him in the storage room back in New York, flying across the room. Then his eyes sweep to the other side of the area and sees a circle with patterns, each line burning bright as it connected to a brain, a heart, half a sword and, is that a baby? Killian didn’t even want to know. And then he sees the key to his redemption…  


_The Dark One’s dagger._  


The weapon he’s long sought after was here—in the hands of a woman he’s never seen before. Suddenly it all made sense. It explained why he never saw the bloody thing in his undercover scavenger hunt in the crocodile’s shop and why he never even seen the owner himself. That woman was controlling him. It must be nice, having the most powerful being that ever existed right in the palm of your hand. Too bad he’d have to take it from her.  


Killian was about to make an appearance when he heard the raven-haired woman speak with her hands aflame as if ready to attack. “Time travelling has its consequences, Zelena,” _Time travelling?_ “Yes, it will change your future, but no one, not even you can predict what will happen after.”  


The woman with the dagger, Zelena, Killian figured, was seething. “I know the consequences very well, sis, but that won’t matter as long as I get _everything_ that you have,” Zelena flashed a wicked grin, “And once I make mother keep me, you, my little sis, will cease to exist.”  


_‘Time travel?’_ Killian thought incredulously. He’s lived more than a century, travelled to different realms, and never has he heard something as absurd as time travelling. But then, he realized, in a world where he was considered a fairytale character with a perm and thin whiskers as a mustache, skipping through time may just be worth believing in.  


And then an idea came to him like a whirlwind.  


_Milah._  


If he goes back in time to prevent their encounter with Rumpelstiltskin, he could save Milah and live happily ever after. And then, he won’t even have to hunt the bloody crocodile for revenge in the first place. Instead, he’ll sail the world with the woman he loves and hopefully die a happy man.  


Killian was pulled from his reverie when a gust of wind pushed through from inside the shed. There in the middle of the infrastructure appeared a pool of bright red light, spiraling infinitely into oblivion. He then sees Zelena as she turns around and faces the portal with glee. “Looks like my ride’s here, time to create my happy end—” She hadn’t got the chance to finish when Killian pushed her out of the way, knocking her off her feet so she was lying flat on her back.  


The whole place stood still, he could tell by the immediate silence that ensued in his appearance. Killian didn’t even need to look around to know that they were all as stricken as the redhead he’s knocked over.  


“What the—” Zelena started as she pointed her index finger murderously at the intruder. “Who the hell are you?”  


“Killian Jones, milady, or Captain Hook if you’d like,” He said with a smirk before turning to face the portal. “But I believe this is my ride to my happy ending.” He declared with determination and jumped through.  


\---  


When Emma saw the familiar dark hair and dashing blue eyes rushing towards Zelena, she thought she was hallucinating. She thought that maybe all the madness that had happened in the past few years in this town had finally caught up to her. But when she looked around and found the same look she figured she had on everyone else, she wished she really was hallucinating.  


The last time she saw Hook, she was dragging his unconscious body down the basement storage room back in New York. They’d left them there and took off with his ship back to Storybrooke. She admit she got a little guilty when they took the pirate’s ship and left him back in a place unknown to him, but it was the only way they could get back home on time and avoid Hook’s rage.  


Seeing him now as he pushed Zelena to the side, she couldn’t help but think of what had happened to Hook since their arrival from New York last month. With all the things that happened with Cora and now Zelena, she’d regrettably forgotten about him. And she actually feels sorry for the guy.  


“Emma,” Robin called quietly beside her and motioned toward the golden brain that was just a feet away from her. “Take the brain, and I’ll take Regina’s heart.”  


Emma carefully followed, taking advantage of the distraction. She silently took the brain and saw Robin do the same with Regina’s heart.  


Across from her, she saw David backing up to where the baby was. With a quick swipe, he was able to carry the baby in his arms and one by one, the glowing lines that connected the portal to the ingredients flickered off.  


Zelena didn’t seem to notice how the portal was growing smaller and she thanked her lucky stars that Hook was there to keep her distracted.  


That was until Hook turned around and faced the portal. It then dawned on her that he wasn’t there to save them.  


He was going to jump.  


Before she knew it, she was running towards Hook. Emma didn’t know what came over her then, all she knew is that if he changed the past, something is going to go seriously wrong in the future, and she wasn’t going to let that happen, not when things are almost going well. Whatever his plans were, she can’t let it happen.  


“But I believe this is my ride to my happy ending.” Hook had said and leaped. But before he did, Emma was able to grab at his coat and stood firm on the ground. She saw the portal moving faster and faster as it grew smaller by the second. And then she actually believed she might just stop him. What she didn’t expect though, was the portal’s strength, along with Hook’s force, pulling her in. She could only stare in horror as she was slowly being sucked in by the vortex.  


“Emma!” She saw David and Regina yell in unison. Her name echoed over and over until it stopped. And it was the last thing she heard before the spiraling light engulfed her whole.


	2. The Chase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Disclaimer: The TV Show Once Upon A Time and its characters are not mine. As well as some of the lines I’ve tweaked a little from the show.**

**CHAPTER 2**

As the endless spiral of light surrounded him, Killian thought immediately of his destination. If time travelling had the same principles as jumping through realms, then thinking of where he wanted to be should get him there.

His mind wandered instantly to Milah. _Milah. Alive. Milah. Alive. Milah. Alive._ Killian chanted over and over in his mind, hoping the portal could hear him. He closed his eyes and pictured his lover: her pale white face, her long dark curls, and her eyes… They were the lightest of blue, almost like silver, Killian remembered. He’d always enjoyed looking into them, and whenever Milah catches him, she’d laugh.

“You’re staring again, Killian.” He remembered Milah say one day. They were aboard the Jolly Roger at that time, sailing across the seas. It had only been about a few weeks after they’d confessed their feelings for each other and Killian just couldn’t get used to having the woman he loves right in front of him.

“I’d wager that as a good thing then, love,” Killian countered smugly as he strolled towards Milah and reached for her waist. “At least I found someone worth staring at other than myself.” He smiled before leaning in to kiss her temples gently.

Killian smiled at the memory, but realized it wasn’t the time he wanted to be in. So instead, he tried replace it with another one. The next memory he managed to conjure was the opposite of what he previously remembered. This time he saw Milah in his arms, her eyes full of tears as she placed her frail hand on his cheek. “I love you.” She had managed to say before her eyes fell shut permanently.

_The time before she died._ Killian thought pleadingly, tears forming in his eyes. _I want to see her again._

In an instant, as if the vortex heard him, Killian felt the wind whipping past his body as if he was being sucked out of a tube. The next thing he knew, the soil spat him out, leaving him flying out to an unknown forest until he crashed heavily to the ground. Pain immediately screamed bloody murder in his spine and he groaned. To his surprise, he heard another do the same.

“Ow!” An awfully familiar voice screamed behind him. It took him a second to recognize it before he cursed to himself. _Please let this girl be a stranger._ Killian thought, silently wishing to all the gods that he didn’t bring _her_ along. Carefully, Killian turned around only to be damned by every god he prayed to. There, pulling at the hem of his leather coat was the Swan girl, lying on her side, her blonde hair a disheveled mess on top of her head. Her arms were still clinging to his coat and Killian figured she must’ve somehow snuck behind him and grabbed his clothing during his fall.

“Bloody hell, Swan!” He yells at the blonde in front of him before standing up. Wincing at the sudden pang of pain on his back, he asks a little too harshly, “What the devil are you doing here?”

Emma shoots him a vicious glare before she too stood up and brushed the dirt off her skinny jeans. “Thanks, I appreciate the help, Captain.” She returns, each word dipped heavily in sarcasm.

Killian chose to ignore her. “I don’t recall you answering my question, Swan.” He sneered. “What are you doing here?”

“I think the real question here is why are _you_ here?” Emma raises her eyebrow and stares him down with her hand on her hips. In her stance, Killian couldn’t decide whether she looked like a mother coaxing a confession out of her misbehaved child or a local constable, interrogating a suspect (Both of which he found extremely intimidating). He decided both.

“I have my own business to take care of,” Killian says smoothly as he crossed his arms. “Why do you care?”

Emma squinted and stared at him a little while longer before letting him go. “Well thanks to your _business_ , I was accidentally sucked in when I tried to stop you.”

“How is that my fault?” Killian deadpanned. “Nobody bloody told you to stop me!”

“Well I’m sorry for trying to stop you, but I couldn’t just let you waltz up here and mess with the past!” Emma fumed. “Look, I don’t know anything about this time-travelling thing but one thing I do know is that messing with the past has its consequences.”

“It flatters me that you’re concerned, Swan, but I think I can handle whatever consequences the fates throw at me.” Killian turns to leave and scans his surroundings for the first time. It was almost sun down, seeing how the sky was turning into hues of light orange. He faces her again. “I think I better be off. As you recall, I still have business to attend to and I presume you won’t help me.”

“What? Are you even serious?” Emma looked livid. “We’re in the middle of god-knows where and you suggest separating? We don’t even know how we’re going to get back to Storybrooke!”

“I don’t need to get back to Storybrooke, love,” Killian said. If his plan succeeds, he might just disappear on sight, thinking his eternal youth days in Neverland might be altered and he’ll live like any other _normal_ person. He then eyes Emma, pushing down his guilt when he realizes he just banished her here along with him without a way to get back to her family. “But I guess I’ll help you find a way back…”

Emma opened her mouth slightly, like she was going to say something but she closed them abruptly and instead gave him a skeptical look before nodding apprehensively.

“Good,” Killian said. “‘Cause we need to get going and find a village we could settle in before sun down or we’ll have to wait the night out here.”

“Let’s go then.”

\---

Emma had let her mind wander. Walking through the forest with Hook seemed less like a chore that way. Especially when said person won’t even talk. She wondered what this place meant to him, and why he jumped in that portal in the first place, but although she was itching to, she couldn’t bring herself to ask, only wonder.

The Hook right beside her wasn’t like the Hook she met back in the Enchanted Forest, the one who would shamelessly flirt at any given chance and make an annoying conversation out of almost anything. She actually liked that man better as a companion than the man walking with her.

“You’re awfully quiet.” Emma finally said, breaking the shroud of silence she had been enduring the whole time they started walking. She kept her eyes firmly on the path ahead of them when she spoke, not entirely sure if it was a good idea to start a conversation.

Hook turned to look at her, a slight smirk stitching its way to his lips. “What, miss me, Swan?”

His sudden change of character unsettled her. He acted as though they hadn’t spent the last hour completely trying to ignore the existence of the other and she wasn’t sure if she’d consider it a good thing or a bad thing.

“No, I just…” Emma trailed off, trying to make a decent sentence in her head before opening her mouth once again. Hook had merely raised an eyebrow at her, with a look of amusement playing at his eyes. “I know we barely know each other and I have no right to tell you that you’re acting a bit _differently_ from when we were in the Enchanted Forest, but I’m telling you, you are.” She says, fixing her gaze in his. “And I think it has something to do with this place,” She manages to say. “Look, I’m trying not to pry into your personal affairs but I think since we’re in this together, you’ll have to tell me what we’re actually doing here sooner or later.”

“You know, I actually enjoy looking at you all stiff and nervous. You look less intimidating that way,” Hook said thoughtfully, tilting his head a little to study her face.

“I’m not playing, Hook.” Emma says sternly, battling Hook’s humor-filled eyes.

“Aw, even after all we’ve been through, trying to kill each other and all, you still call me Hook,” He pouts mockingly. “You wound me, Swan.”

Emma sighed. “Killian, then.”

“Ah that’s better, love.” His smirk returns, even wider this time.

“Now tell me why we’re really here, _Killian._ ”

“You’re no fun, love.” Hoo—Killian said, tucking a stray hair off her face gently with his hook. Emma tried not to appear bothered by the gesture and stood firm.

“Answer me.” She presses further.

Sighing in defeat, Killian pulls his sleeve to reveal a red heart-shaped tattoo on his right wrist. “You remember this?” Her eyes scanned the ink on his skin. She remembered it perfectly. She saw it once when they climbed the beanstalk. The heart, the uneven shaped dagger piercing through it, and the name… _Milah._

“Milah.” She voices out, looking into Killian’s eyes for confirmation. He closes his eyes for a moment as if he was recalling a painful memory and nods lightly in approval.

Emma remembered the last time she asked about Milah. The moment her name passed through her lips, she saw Killian cave. Like someone had destroyed his walls; destroyed his heart. The look he had back then mirrored the same emotion Killian had right now. Even after all those years, Milah’s death still pulled a great deal of hurt in him and Emma finally understood. Why he did what he did. Because saving Milah would change everything. Both Milah’s and his life.

“I want to help.” Emma says, reaching out her hand to squeeze Killian’s arm. Somehow, despite their history with each other, she wanted the man to be happy. Everything he’s ever done in the past after all, was all because he wanted to avenge the woman he loved. Now, with a chance to recover what’s been taken from him, he could finally live without dedicating his whole life on revenge. He’ll finally be free.

The look Killian showed when she said those words were indistinguishable. Was he happy, surprised, or mortified? She couldn’t tell. But when he suddenly wraps his arms around her, Emma decided he was grateful.

“Thank you.” Was his reply when he’d let her go. There was not a hint of sarcasm or humor he’d so fondly gotten attached to. He was genuinely thankful, and she was glad she found this rare side of Killian. A side she wishes she’d always see from now on.

Happiness.

\---

Killian had continued to walk side by side with Emma. This time though, the inevitable silences weren’t as deafening as the one they had a while ago. He had resorted to teasing her along the way to which he could tell she had grown to get accustomed to by the way she responds. She’d become a bit less uptight and although he knew she was worried deep down for her family, she tried to hide it. Plus, teasing her helps takes his mind off of his growing exhaustion. They’ve stopped a few times already, and although he needed another one, he couldn’t risk the time wasted if they stop to rest again. It was almost nightfall after all. And nightfall in the middle of an unknown forest is dangerous and unpredictable. He couldn’t take the chance.

He was still deep in thought when Emma suddenly clamped her hand on his mouth and pulled him to the ground behind a shrub.

Before he could even protest, Emma had shot him a vicious glare before turning her eyes to her left. Curious, Killian followed her gaze and bit back a curse from escaping his mouth when he found an ogre snoring soundly against a tree across from them.

“You think there are others?” Emma whispered softly, her concern etched evidently on her face.

“Ogres go in packs. They don’t usually go alone. And this guy being by himself might mean that he really is alone,” Killian observed quietly. “Right now we have two options. We could either avoid it, or we could kill it in his sleep. What do you think shall we do?”

Emma seemed to ponder on it for a moment before speaking. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think we should kill it,” She says. “Because if we leave him be, he might find us when he wakes up. Might as well take care of it now that we have the upper hand.”

“Ah, I knew there was a pirate in you somewhere, Swan,” Killian grinned at her to which she responded to in the form of an eye roll. “So how do we kill it?”

Emma then pulled something out of her boot. When she held it out to him, he looked confused.

“A gun, Killian. It’s called a gun,” This time it was Emma who grinned. “Come on.”

Carefully, Killian and Emma treaded around the snoring ogre, taking a bit more time to make sure there weren’t any dried leaves or stray twigs to step on. From what they learned back in the Enchanted Forest, ogres being bereft of sight only heightened the skill of their other senses—their sense of hearing, most specifically. With that in mind, they both knew that risking even a single whisper around the creature could most probably make them regret ever planning to pursue it in the first place. So slowly, they walk until they found their location close enough to be able to aim at the beast’s eye.

Killian watched as Emma pulled out her contraption from her back pocket. He never fully understood what it was or what it does, but when he sees the lass aiming at the ogre with her left eye slightly closed, he figured its purpose resembled that of a crossbow but a tad more handier.

_Bang._

He heard the loud blast that had apparently burst out of the _gun_ as Emma had called it. His eyes went straight to the ogre they were facing, and from the looks of things, the fact that the beast was able to growl and struggle to stand up meant only one thing: their plan failed; Emma had missed.

Taking Emma by the arm, Killian turned and ran, ignoring the tremor of the ground and dodging every tree and shrub that went past them. He took a quick peek behind him to see just how far their attacker was only to find the monster gaining on them, with a violent scowl and a bleeding ear visible on its face. When he returned his focus back on the track ahead of them, he seemed to have missed the root on the floor and tripped him, leaving him falling with his face flat on the surface. He turned instinctively, crawling backwards when he saw the ogre stopping before him, sniffing the air, and finding him almost immediately.

Killian looked around, searching for the blonde lass he pulled her along with. But when he didn’t find her, he didn’t know what to feel. Should he feel betrayed that the Swan girl had left him, or relieved that she was able to get away. He decided not to think about it in that moment. Wherever the hell she was, it didn’t change the fact that he was here, an ogre just a few steps away from him, ready to kill him. And he might just be. He knew that running wouldn’t help this time, considering how close the creature was from him. It could easily take him with his hand even if he tries to run away.

Bloody hell, this wasn’t how he imagined he would die.

_Bang._

He heard it again, the loud boom that accompanied the weapon that Emma Swan had. He turned around and saw her, panting rapidly with a fierce look on her face as she aimed the gun on the ogre.

_She came back._

It was all he could think about when he saw her. He’d barely even noticed the heavy thud that followed after, but he did and cautiously turned to see the giant lifeless on the forest floors with blood oozing from his left eye.

“Killian!” He heard Emma call his name, but he stood frozen on his place, unable to move, his mind still in shock with what had happened only moments ago. He almost died. He actually _thought_ he was going to die. But he didn’t. Emma had saved him.

He felt footsteps padding over to where he was and soon enough he met Emma’s eyes. She was holding his shoulders, shaking lightly. “Talk to me, Killian. Are you okay?” She said, her face full of concern. He took a look at her eyes again, it was the first time he ever looked at them up close. They were green as they always were but this close he noticed there were flecks of brown in them, just a little near her pupils. He found them quite beautiful, never having to see anything quite like it. “Beautiful.” He heard himself say before he even registered that he did.

Emma glowered at him, letting go of his shoulders and crossed her arms. “You’re unbelievable, you almost got killed by an ogre and the first thing you do is flirt. Are you even okay?”

Blinking, Killian cleared his throat and nodded. “Thank you, Emma. I thought you were going to leave me.”

“You really think I’d let you die?” She said, suppressing a smile from her mouth.

“Given our history can you blame me for being uncertain?” He too couldn’t help the automatic simper that made its way to his lips.

“I guess not. But at least now you know I wouldn’t leave you just like that.”

Her words held an inaudible promise in them and Killian actually believed her. Risking her life for him was proof enough of her declaration. He trusted her.

Killian watched as Emma places a hand on his shoulder and lets out a small genuine smile at him. He would be a lying to himself to say that he didn’t feel a slight flutter in his stomach in that moment. He tried his best to ignore it before giving her a smile in return.

“Thank you.”


End file.
